CHIP CARDS (EMV) FOR ACQUIRERS AND PROCESSORS

Prepare your business and your merchants to accept chip cards

Need help with chip card education and training?

The switch to chip card terminals can be a vital part of your business, and we’re here to help. We have resources and best practices to help streamline your upgrade and help your merchants accept Discover® Global Network chip cards. Start your certification today.

Why is certification needed?

Discover® Global Network helps streamline certification

Expert Process Management

Certification is managed through Discover-approved service providers who have the ability to validate test log formats—allowing you to use the test tool of your choice. To obtain a list of service providers, contact your Account Executive.

Easy-To-Use Discover Global Network Platform

Through the Discover Innovation Gateway (DIG), we help facilitate end-to-end terminal certifications, which will allow us to offer additional services. This ensures you’re provided with best-in-class support from our accredited service providers.

Ensured Compliance

While D-PAS end-to-end terminal certifications will be managed through service providers, host certifications (for acquirers/processors now processing Discover Network transactions) and clearing certifications will continue to be managed through the Discover Release Compliance Tool (RCT) platform.

Discover End-to-End Certification Guidelines

Read the following information for general guidelines on EMV POS certification (also known as Level 3 certification) and the primary types of terminals.

Stand-Alone (Class A) Solution

Terminal and PIN pad certification are required by all acquirers and merchant processors for stand-alone terminals.

Considerations

For stand-alone terminal certifications each unique kernel must be certified.

When certifying terminal models with the same kernel, only one of the terminals needs to be certified. That certification will account for all other terminals using the same kernel.

When the exact same terminal application is being used in multiple markets and/or currencies, the terminal end-to-end certification is needed only once.

Please indicate within the certification request the markets in which the terminal will operate.

Integrated Payment Providers (IPPs) Solution

In general, all unique terminal configurations, integrated or semi-integrated, need to be certified by integrated payment providers (IPPs).

The purpose of the Discover terminal certification is to certify our D-PAS application—to ensure transactions pass through a specific host system (acquirer/processor) to Discover Global Network.

IPPs need to certify their terminals with each acquirer/processor they connect to—for each card brand application they accept.

Large Merchant Solution

When using an acquirer/processor, each large merchant must certify their terminal and/or PIN pad with their acquirer/processor to accept Discover chip card transactions. The devices for each merchant have to be certified by acquirers/processors due to the unique nature of the terminal configuration.

It’s not possible for an acquirer/processor to certify a specific terminal device for one merchant and not another that uses the same device. However, certification of one terminal model will suffice if a merchant uses multiple terminals/PIN pads with the same kernel.

D-PAS test cards for certification and production validation

Once you’ve completed EMV (Chip Card) POS certification, it’s time to conduct production validation to ensure your solution works properly.

Testing Production Validation

Once your terminal has been certified and is deployed in a production environment, it is time to conduct production validation testing to make sure your device is accepting Discover chip cards correctly. Discover Network provides physical unfunded EMV test cards to be used in production, so contact your account executive to obtain these cards.

The United States of America, includes 50 states, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory or possession of the United States of America, including military bases and embassies, including Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, US Virgin Islands, etc.

*A common AID allows Merchants and Acquirers to route debit card transactions over multiple unaffiliated networks. . The Discover U.S. Common Debit AID is available for Discover/PULSE-issued cards with another card brand as a secondary routing network.